The passage of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2010 addresses concerns emanating from mining operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and adjoining countries which are involved in the unethical treatment of individuals and aid in the financial support of armed groups. The issuance of Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act requires corporations reporting to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to disclose annually the usage of “conflict minerals” in the functionality or production of its products. “Conflict minerals” currently pertains to the metals tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold derived from the minerals cassiterite, columbite-tantalite, and wolframite which are mined in the DRC and the neighboring countries.
In an effort to support the stoppage of armed conflicts and help end human right violations and abuses in the DRC region, Z-Communications is committed to using “conflict free” metals only. It does not directly source from mines or smelters but procures components and materials from suppliers whose policy is to abide by the same humanitarian objective. As part of the due diligence and ensure the absence of “conflict minerals” in Z-Communications products it is requested and required that suppliers provide documents stating their metal/smelter sources or be supplied with their Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) and Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) template.
Z-Communications will continue to survey suppliers on a regular basis to ensure proper diligence is being followed. Upon request a copy of the EICC GeSI template can be provided. For questions or template information, please send a request to our Applications Engineering department.
